You can help name the zoo’s new giraffe

The Friends of the Greenville Zoo wants to know what you think the name of the expected baby giraffe at the Greenville Zoo should be.

Any person who gives a minimum $10 donation to the Friends of the Greenville Zoo through its redesigned website, www.friendsgreenvillezoo.org, or by mail, 102 East Park Ave., Greenville, S.C. 29601, can submit a male and female name for the baby giraffe, which is due later this summer at the Greenville Zoo, officials said.

“All names will be reviewed by the Friends of the Greenville Zoo board, and a final three will be given to the Greenville Zoo staff, who will decide on the official name,” said Amanda Osborne, executive director of the Friends of the Greenville Zoo.

Online submissions will be accepted until 48 hours after the baby giraffe’s birth, which can be seen live on the Friends’ website via the Giraffe Cam. Regular mail submissions must be postmarked by the baby giraffe’s birth date, officials said.

“A portion of the donations will be used to support the giraffe exhibit at the Greenville Zoo. We would love to provide new shade structures for the exhibit,” Osborne said.

The new giraffe will be the second baby of Walter and Autumn. Their first born, Kiko, garnered international attention for the Greenville Zoo, and the new birth is expected to be just as impactful.

“The Greenville Zoo saw such an outpouring of interest that the Friends and Zoo leadership felt it would be a fun idea to allow people the chance to participate in the naming of this addition to the zoo family,” Osborne said.